Does Your Healthcare Organization Reflect the Current Standards of Physician Board Certification?

While not everyone knows the steps that physicians must complete in order to become board certified, they largely understand that board certified physicians represent some of the best and the brightest in their specialty. And, currently in the United States there are three organizations that provide highly regarded, reliable, and reputable board certification to physicians: The American Board of Medical Specialties® (ABMS), the American Osteopathic Association® (AOA), and the American Board of Physician Specialties® (ABPS). It is essential that hospitals and other healthcare organizations ensure that their bylaws are updated to reflect the current standards of physician board certification – omitting any of the primary three certifying authorities could potentially limit the pool of qualified candidates for employment opportunities.

While the ABMS, the AOA, and the ABPS each have their own unique advantages, the important thing to consider is that each offers the same standard for board certification. To become board certified, a physician candidate must meet rigorous eligibility requirements, successfully complete a standardized, psychometrically validated examination, and demonstrate extensive experience in the specialty area. This process is vitally important because being board certified needs to remain exclusive – physicians who earn the distinction deserve to be able to present themselves as unquestioned specialty area experts to their peers, patients, loved ones, and acquaintances.

Over the years, the bylaws of hospitals and other healthcare organizations can naturally become outdated and limited in scope. For this reason, a routine review of bylaws, hiring practices, and other processes is strongly encouraged. Rather than relying on old language written by long-since-retired leaders, board members, or attorneys, it is good practice to identify and address vague, inaccurate, or unnecessary language.

Ultimately, hospitals and other healthcare organizations owe it to themselves to ensure that they are in the strongest position to provide the best possible care. As the healthcare industry rapidly changes and physicians are increasingly becoming more specialized, it is vital to ensure that hiring bylaws are modern, relevant, and will facilitate the hiring of the best candidates – not serve as an impediment.